March 18, 2026 / 9:03 PM EDT / CBS/AFP
Costa Rica on Wednesday closed its embassy in Havana and asked Cuba to withdraw its diplomatic staff from San José.
“We have to clean out communists from the hemisphere,” Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves said after the diplomatic rupture.
The Cuban Embassy in the United States responded on social media, alleging Costa Rica acted “under pressure from the United States.”
Costa Rica’s foreign minister, Arnoldo Andre Tinoco, said the move was driven by “deep concern” over the “sustained deterioration of the human rights situation in Cuba, as well as the increase in acts of repression against citizens, activists and dissidents.” He announced the closure of the Costa Rican embassy in Havana and said Cuban diplomatic personnel should leave the embassy in San José, except for consular officials.
Costa Rica’s decision aligns it with other U.S. allies taking a tougher stance toward Cuba. Ecuador expelled Cuba’s ambassador, Basilio Gutiérrez, on March 4, accusing him of interfering in domestic affairs and engaging in “violent activities.”
The announcement comes amid mounting pressure on Cuba from the United States and growing domestic unrest on the island. Cuba has suffered severe energy shortages and this week experienced a nationwide blackout, while protests were reported last week.
Costa Rica’s move follows closer political alignment with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has in recent weeks suggested he may “take” Cuba and has warned of forthcoming action. Trump said Sunday that Cuban and U.S. officials were “talking” and that “I think we will pretty soon either make a deal or do whatever we have to do.” He told reporters Tuesday, “We’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon,” and on Monday said, “Whether I free it, take it, I think I could do anything I want with it.”
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez wrote on social media that “any external aggressor will clash with an impregnable resistance.”
Joe Walsh contributed to this report.
